I should have acted sooner. Fluid challenge and antibiotics stat. Because in sepsis, everything can change when you act just one few moments sooner...
- ECG: Pulseless ventricular tachycardia
- ECG: Complete heart block
- CT brain: Hemorrhagic stroke
- CXR: Pneumothorax
- Gen Med: Diabetes mellitus
- Clinical: Organophosphate poisoning
- Resuscitation: Hyponatremia and hypokalemia
- Resuscitation: Neutropenic sepsis
I don't think I did great. What the assessment showed me was how weak I was in medicine and management and how unsystematic I am. I think that's what assessments are about. To assess what you don't know rather thank what you know. Identifying your weak points helps you realize your weakness so you can work on it and take it to the next level. The questions are all med school stuff. Yet I still fumbled with answering.
And this is on paper.
Real life is different. More factors are equated in. Staff, teamwork, patient's character, your own character, the ward environment, the hospital system, your superiors, and of course your cases. Some people manage well in-situ, under pressure. I am not one of those people. But repetition and practice helps. The more you experience the better you get. You don't turn super overnight. Heck, you don't become great after months of practice.
I shouldn't therefore be too happy that I'm already a few more steps to leaving medical. I might be leaving but still lacking in the necessary skills and knowledge. This could be dangerous. longer stay however may just provide that extra push to develop.
After all that said... No way I'm staying in medical more than I have to :p I'm stressed with the work, but enjoy it at times. It's one of the only postings where opportunity to learn and practice independently is abundant.
I hope I've learned something and continue to learn.
